Wheelsport Ultegra Di2 2x11 Speed: Part 6 - Accessories and Geometry Comparison

Part 1: Frame Design and Carbon Fork
Part 2: Compatibility Check for Wheelset and Brake Calipers
Part 3: Component Selection
Part 4: Installation Issues and Solutions
Part 5: Final Assembly

With the successful assembly of the Wheelsport Fantasy Ultegra Di2 2x11 Speed Mini Velo, I now have a new bike to ride! This bike replaces the Dahon Boardwalk which has served me extremely well these few years. It was the bike that kick started all these bike upgrading, and helped me learnt so much about bicycles.

Now, on my daily commute to work, I generally rotate between three bikes. The Merida Scultura 5000 road bike, this new Wheelsport Fantasy mini velo, and the Avanti Inc 3 wet weather bike. If the weather is dry and good, I will use the Merida road bike or the Wheelsport mini velo. Occasionally, I will ride the Dahon MuEX Di2 folding bike. Otherwise, if there is wet weather, I will use the all weather Avanti Inc 3 as my commuting bike.

I like to have some accessories on all my bikes, such as lights or mounts for a cycle computer. Also, I find it important to bring along spares and tools, which means the use of a saddle bag or a tool bottle. On this Wheelsport mini velo, I will also need to bring along spares and tools, but I don't want to use a saddle bag as it will spoil the look of the bike for me. Another reason for eliminating the saddle bag is so that I can mount the Fly 6 rear light + camera on the seat post. In this case, the elegant way is to use a tool bottle to carry the stuff, like how it is done on the Merida road bike.

The problem is, the Wheelsport Fantasy frame only comes with one set of bottle cage mounting holes, which is located on the downtube. This is where the water bottle will be mounted, so I need to find somewhere else for the tool bottle. My solution for this is to create an extra set of mounting holes on the seat tube.

Only one set of bottle cage mounting holes on the downtube as shown, no bottle cage mounting anywhere else.

Using this add-on bottle cage mounting, extra bottle cage mounting holes can be strapped onto almost any part of the bike frame

Turning the red plastic piece will miraculously tighten the cable tie, through the ingenious use of a special spiral gear that works like a worm gear.

One set weighs only 29 grams, very simple and effective

Installed on the seat tube of the Wheelsport frame. The challenge is to put it as low as possible, but also not interfere with the FD or the Di2 battery.

With the new mount, a Merida bottle cage was used to hold the PRO tool bottle and the Lezyne Pressure Drive hand pump

Managed to fit everything I wanted into the compact triangle of the frame!

I am glad that I managed to make this work, so that I can use a tool bottle to carry the spares and tools. However, it must be noted that due to the limited space, it is quite impossible to use a water bottle here, unless it is a really short water bottle, or if the bottle cage allows sideways access.

Next, I would also like to mount the Garmin Edge 510 cycle computer and the Shimano Sport Camera on this bike. To mount these two accessories on the bike, I had previously used the K-Edge Aero mount on the Merida road bike. However, the K-Edge mount was expensive, and I did not want to spend so much again on a K-Edge mount. Luckily, I managed to find a similar one on Taobao which is half the price.

Garmin plus GoPro combo mount from Taobao, works similarly to the K-Edge design

Bottom side of the mount. The mount can be pushed further outwards as required to accommodate the larger Garmin Edge 1000.

A bit heavier than the K-Edge mount, as more material is used on this mount

Seen as mounted on the bike, with the Garmin on top and the Shimano camera below

As neat as possible, without taking up too much space on the handlebar

The most important accessories are the lights, which is necessary for safety, especially when riding in the dark. My current favourite lights are the D-Light USB rechargeable front and rear lights, as they are so small and lightweight, and yet bright enough for on road riding usage.

D-Light rear light, fits perfectly into the small triangle formed by the top tube, seat tube and seat stays. This is the perfect place for a rear light.

Pair of D-Light front lights, mounted the same way as on the Merida road bike.

All the accessories have been installed on the bike! Now, I would like to compare the geometries of this new Wheelsport mini velo with the Merida road bike. Both are built to go fast, and the riding geometry should be similar for me. As always, I use the bottom bracket of both the bikes as the datum for alignment, before comparing them. I had previously compared the Dahon Boardwalk to the Merida Scultura 5000, and now it will be the Wheelsport Fantasy Mini Velo against the Merida road bike.

Aligning the bottom bracket of the bikes to each other

One concern that I have is the ground clearance for the crankarm when cornering. This Wheelsport mini velo frame is designed for 451 wheels, but I have installed 406 wheels which are smaller. This will put the crankarm and pedals closer to the ground during cornering. For comparison, I have measured the BB to ground distance for my other bikes. This distance is somewhat affected by the type of tires used, as wider tires are also taller than narrower tires.

BB to Ground Height:
Wheelsport Fantasy Ultegra Di2 2x11 Speed: 267mm
Dahon MuEX and Dahon Vitesse: 284mm
Merida Scultura 5000: 275mm
Avanti Inc 3: 274mm

Based on the measurements, Dahon folding bikes actually have a pretty high BB to ground distance. The Merida road bike has a BB to ground distance that is almost the same as the Avanti Inc 3, so I guess this is pretty much the standard for a bike meant to be ridden on road. I expect off-road mountain bikes to have more clearance with the ground, to clear obstacles and also to allow for suspension sag.

This leaves the BB to ground distance for the Wheelsport mini velo as the lowest of the lot. It is about 7mm lower than the next lowest. Will this cause pedal strike when I corner more with the Wheelsport mini velo? It is hard to tell until I try it. That said, I have never had pedal strike issues with any of the bikes mentioned above.

Merida bike has a 405mm chainstay length (from the website), while the Wheelsport frame has a 420mm chainstay length (measured). Will this give the mini velo more stability at high speed compared to the road bike?

Wheelsport frame has a BB to front hub length of 580mm, about the same as the Merida road bike

Saddle on the Wheelsport mini velo is set slightly lower than that on the Merida, as the BB height is also lower. Reach from the saddle to the pedals should be similar.

Saddle on the Wheelsport mini velo is set slightly further back, to give sufficient space between the stem and the nose of the saddle for me to stand in.

Handlebar on the Wheelsport mini velo is at about the same reach as the Merida, but is located about 30mm higher.

Slightly higher and nearer reach for the Wheelsport mini velo as compared to the Merida road bike

With this geometry comparison, it can be seen that the geometry of the Wheelsport Fantasy mini velo is quite similar to the Merida road bike. Apart from the slighter shorter reach on the mini velo (with a less aggressive riding posture), most other distances are similar. This also means that this mini velo will feel much like a road bike in terms of riding posture. The only thing left to do now is to ride the bike and enjoy it!

Further improvements were made later on, click here for Part 7!